Kuwaiti women conquer tradition, run for office

KUWAIT CITY – When Aisha al-Rsheid challenged tradition by campaigning for Parliament at a male-only gathering, she received a letter warning her to stop behaving like a man and forget about the race “before it is too late.”

Women in this oil-rich Persian Gulf nation – allowed to run for office and vote in next year’s parliamentary elections for the first time – find the way still barred by traditions that discourage mixing of the sexes, and by apathy or opposition from other women.

None of that has bowed al-Rsheid, a journalist and businesswoman who contends that traditions barring women from political life are not supported by the Quran, Islam’s holy book, nor by Kuwait’s constitution.

“They delivered the letter to the woman who has no fear,” she said of the anonymous letter she received March 14.

The Legislature approved opening politics to women in May over the objections of critics who argued the change went against Islam and Kuwaiti traditions, and that women should stay home to care for their families. The Cabinet appointed its first female member, Massouma al-Mubarak, about a month later.

Since then, women’s groups have been organizing seminars – some with foreign speakers – on the electoral system, public speaking and choosing a candidate.

Turnout at those events, however, has been thin.

Maha al-Loghani, a 30-year-old secretary, said she might be persuaded to vote in parliamentary elections in summer 2007. “But a woman becoming a lawmaker? I don’t know. They still need time. Women are emotional,” she said.

Writer Laila al-Othman is blunt about what needs to be done: “We need to open their heads and remove the rust that has built up there,” she said.

In what could be a peek into the future, two women will compete in an April 4 by-election for a seat on the Municipal Council. The government has previously appointed two women to the council, but this is the first time women will run for a seat or cast ballots.

There is no question women could be a strong political force in Kuwait. When the government automatically registered eligible female voters in January, they numbered 194,618, compared with 139,176 registered male voters. And Kuwaiti women are usually well-educated and often hold high-ranking jobs.

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